In view of recent catastrophes involving oil tankers, drilling platforms and the like, the need for an effective oil containment device is beyond despute. Prior art devices which have attempted to address themselves to this problem include the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,240,567, 3,183,876, 4,000,532 and 4,015,431.
The patent to Ahiko U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,431 teaches the use of a floatable oil fence designed such that the boom portion can absorb impacts from other vessels without losing its ability to float. However the means for interconnecting a plurality of these booms has been found to provide a stress area suspectable to crimping and deformation to the extent that an area for ingress and egress of oil contaminates is possible whether or not the main floating boom portion has been punctured. Further however the structure associated with the interconnection of plural booms is not only readily assessable, but also is not readily disposed for easy disconnections so as to replace damaged sections.
Nielsen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,532 teaches the use of a structure for providing a space between a containment boom and a vessel so as negate the affects of tidal currents etc and this structure, while addressing itself to the problems of properly orienting the boom, does not in and of itself provide a unitized integral apparatus for constraining the fending device along with the boom together. That is, the fending device thereafter becomes a problem in that it tends to migrate from areas that require this spacing.
Kronhaus U.S. Pat. No. 3,183,876 teaches the use of an apparatus for temporarily sealing an aperture in the outer periphery of a ships skin not only to assure that the ship will remain afloat, but also as a means for preserving the cargo contained therein. This structure includes an outer skin deployable over the ships outer hull that is to be localized near the aperture so as to provide containment of any spillage also to minimize the amount of incoming sea water thereby reducing the severity of any punctures along the hull.